DCA-2020-LGBT-Heritage-Month-Calendar-And-Cultural-Guide-6-1-20-240.Pdf
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Presented by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs CITY OF LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES CULTURAL AFFAIRS Eric Garcetti CITY COUNCIL COMMISSION Mayor Nury Martinez John Wirfs City of Los Angeles Los Angeles City Council President President Councilwoman, Sixth District Mike Feuer Elissa Scrafano Los Angeles City Attorney Gilbert Cedillo Vice President District 1 Ron Galperin Evonne Gallardo Los Angeles City Controller Paul Krekorian Thien Ho District 2 Charmaine Jefferson Bob Blumenfield Eric Paquette District 3 David Ryu District 4 CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF Paul Koretz CULTURAL AFFAIRS District 5 Danielle Brazell Monica Rodriguez General Manager District 7 Daniel Tarica Marqueece Harris-Dawson Assistant General Manager District 8 Will Caperton y Montoya Curren D. Price, Jr. Director of Marketing, District 9 Development, and Design Strategy Herb J. Wesson, Jr. District 10 Mike Bonin District 11 GUIDE PRODUCTION Will Caperton y Montoya John S. Lee Editor and Art Director District 12 Marcia Harris Mitch O’Farrell Whitley Company District 13 Jose Huizar GUIDE DESIGN District 14 Rubén Esparza View online at: Red Studio Joe Buscaino culturela.org District 15 Whitley Company Front Cover: Michael R. Moore, Jamari Over the Rainbow 5626b, Digital photography, 20” x 48”, 2014 ERIC GARCETTI MAYOR, CITY OF LOS ANGELES Dear Friends, On behalf of the City of Los Angeles, it is my pleasure to join all Angelenos in celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Heritage Month. Our LGBT community has been an essential thread in the rich cultural tapestry of our city, and has made L.A. a more prosperous city. From the Black Cat Tavern to the world’s oldest Pride Parade, Los Angeles is home to a wealth of LGBT history. Whether in the arts or academia, in our businesses or in our neighborhoods, our LGBT brothers and sisters have brought invaluable contributions to every corner of our city. I hope you will use this calendar and cultural guide, created by our Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), to learn about the many online activities to celebrate this month. I also encourage you to enjoy the remarkable artwork we are showcasing from established and emerging LGBT artists. I send my best wishes for a memorable celebration and continued success. Sincerely, ERIC GARCETTI Mayor City of Los Angeles 3 Katie McGuire, Horn Player, Spray paint and oil paint on Masonite, 3’’ x 4’, 2020 RON GALPERIN LOS ANGELES CITY CONTROLLER Dear Angelenos: While we cannot do so in person this year, I am very excited to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Heritage Month with all of you. The City of Los Angeles — home to the second-largest LGBT community in the United States — is rightly recognized around the world for its incredible diversity, vibrancy, and creativity. As a proud member of the LGBT community and the first openly-gay citywide elected official in L.A., I consider myself extremely lucky to live and serve here. One of my primary objectives as City Controller has been to ensure everyone has a seat at the table in our local government. From creating an LGBT resource map, to organizing clothing drives for homeless LGBT youth, and supporting LGBT-owned businesses, I have made it my responsibility to support all members of our community. In the 51 years since the Stonewall rebellion, we have made so much progress in the struggle for equality across the country. But there is still work to be done. Now, more than ever, we must strive to break down barriers and ensure that everyone has access to equal opportunities, here and everywhere. Thanks to the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs, this calendar of online events and cultural guide showcases the work of LGBT artists and highlights many wonderfully engaging experiences. During this month and throughout the year, I encourage you to learn about LGBT history and celebrate the art and culture that has always been integral to our community! RON GALPERIN L.A. Controller 5 art Mary Cheung, Whitney’s Heart, Digital photography, 8.5” x 12.75”, 2014 NURY MARTINEZ LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT COUCILWOMAN, SIXTH DISTRICT Dear Friends, On behalf of the Los Angeles City Council, it is my privilege to invite you to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Heritage Month in our great City! People from around the world have made Los Angeles their home, and as such, we PRIDE ourselves not on tolerance because we do not just tolerate one another; instead, in the City of Los Angeles we celebrate, respect, and honor each other as Angelenos and all the beautiful backgrounds, including LGBTQ, we bring to the table when we interact with one another. This month, we continue this shared heritage by honoring the achievements of our city’s LGBTQ community and acknowledge their meaningful contributions to L.A. With this publication, our Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) highlights the work of our LGBTQ artists who keep our traditions alive and thriving in our communities and offer new ones for us to consider. To mark this important month, DCA is also providing arts and cultural online activities for your enjoyment. I encourage you to refer to this calendar to find the numerous festivals, musical events, theatrical performances, films, poetry readings, and cultural events that are just a click away. Together we will celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Heritage Month and accomplishments in the City of Angels. Sincerely, NURY MARTINEZ Los Angeles City Council President Councilwoman, Sixth District 7 art Austyn de Lugo, FaceTime Portrait of Ari, Acrylic on canvas, 16” x 20”, 2020 MIKE BONIN COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 11 Dear Friends, It is with great appreciation for the many people who make the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community vibrant in Los Angeles that I write to welcome and celebrate LGBT Heritage Month. For generations, activists and allies have been living proof of how inclusivity can make a city stronger and more vibrant. Los Angeles is a place that accepts everyone, regardless of whom you love. We are a city that stands up to fight for equality for everyone, everywhere. We are a city connected with threads woven with pride. People from every part of this city work to make this tapestry of diversity and pride even stronger and more exciting. From the emergence of new pride organizations, like DTLA Proud and Venice Pride, to expanded LGBT homeless youth shelter systems, like the LGBT Center, LA’s legacy of championing pride and demanding equality is more alive than it ever has been before. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done. With rampant economic adversities facing the LGBT community, we need progressive leadership in Los Angeles to continue the march toward equality. I am proud to be a part of this fight, and to stand with you all to celebrate, resist, and march forward. Thank you for being part of this celebration of our heritage and this call to action for our future. Regards, MIKE BONIN Councilmember, District 11 9 MITCH O’FARRELL COUNCILMEMBER, DISTRICT 13 Friends: Happy 50th Anniversary of the first L.A. Pride Parade that took place in Hollywood back in 1970 in the great 13th Council District! As we celebrate virtually this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made me ever mindful of the devastation this community faced beginning in the 1980’s - with AIDS. There are parallels we can reflect upon and from which we can draw strength. The world has changed drastically since that time but human nature remains the same: there are stories to tell, stories that need to be heard. I invite you to visit my Facebook page to read Pride and Pandemic. The special series will feature essays and other storytelling about experiences of survival during the AIDS epidemic, beginning in the 80’s and how it relates to the pandemic of 2020. Our community is known for its creativity, generosity of spirit, and as much as anything else, our resolve. It is that resolve that has gotten us to where we are today: a fighting spirit that was built by generations before us. This is the ground upon which we now stand. Our cumulative experience teaches us that our hope for a brighter future can never be dimmed, nor our contributions diminished. We have 50 years of PRIDE to celebrate! You can also find a calendar of events on my website: http://cd13.com. We are thankful for all the sacrifices, all the successes, all the friendships, and all the memories. With love, pride, and solidarity, MITCH O’FARRELL Councilmember, District 13 At left: Coffee Kang, Human Portraits #1 , Photography, 12” x 18”, 2016 11 Suzanne Shifflett, Paula, Oil on panel, 12” x 16”, 2018 DANIELLE BRAZELL GENERAL MANAGER CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS Dear Friends, The Department of Cultural Affairs is pleased to present this calendar of online events celebrating the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community thriving in our unique City. In this publication we honor the extraordinary range of LGBT experiences and cultural traditions transforming our society into an exciting, creative metropolis. 2020 is a year full of ruptures in normalcy, community resiliency, and creative reinvention. It is a moment in time where history will show the collective impact of our ability to respond to crisis through an unwavering dedication to fostering the wellbeing of our communities for the greater public good. We have seen communities step up to take care of our most vulnerable while demonstrating how to protect, serve, and heal from a mystery virus that shows no mercy on those it infects. We know firsthand, because we have lived it, and many have survived it, to tell the story.